Return
by Starfan1245
Summary: Thor makes his way back to Midgard after spending some time as king on Asgard and finds something he did not expect. NO SLASH, unless you want to see it that way, just brotherly hurt/comfort.


**A/N: This is my first attempt at an Avengers f****ic(: It focuses mainly on Thor and Loki and takes place a ways into the future! Also: THIS IS NOT SLASH. It is just brothers comforting one another! If you want to see it as slash, you can but that is not the intention of the actions. Hope you enjoy!**

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Thor couldn't hide his surprise when he came back to Midgard, walked quickly towards Stark Tower with every intention to see his old friends, and instead found a memorial sight. The big building that the Avengers had housed in before Thor had been called back to Asgard to take position as king, had been torn down, no proof that it had existed whatsoever. Instead, there was a fenced in area. The bright green grass was neatly cut and a little stone trail led through it. In the middle, there was a large rectangular shaped plaque.

Thor walked through. Statues were set up all over, ones that artists had carved over the years. There were ones of each of the Avengers individually, like one of Bruce posing standing up holding a book with the Hulk (or the "Other Guy" as Bruce had always recalled the green giant) standing directly behind him, towering above his human form in a fighting stance, forehead scrunched up in anticipation, teeth bared. A little ways away, there was one of Tony. The billionaire was in his Iron Man suit, the arc reactor in the direct middle of his chest like it should be, but his helmet was completely off, showing how Tony was smirking, hands poised on his hips, shaggy hair messed up around his head. Even the beard looked real.

Clint and Natasha's statue was together as one. The archer was holding his bow up, arm drawing the string back as he aimed for something in the sky. His body was faced towards the street on the other side of the fence. Natasha stood almost pressed up against him, holding her gun in both hands, facing inward towards the center of the site, glaring at something over Thor's shoulder.

Steve Rogers' statue was a little ways behind Tony's statue. He was standing straight up, the suit on, even the mask positioned on his face. His shield, the famous shield with the red, white, and blue stripes with the star in the middle, balanced on his left arm, his body angled a different way than his head was facing. He looked more relaxed, not ready to fight, smiling out at the world.

There were more statues, too, settled in on the grass, but Thor was drawn to the center, to the giant rectangle plaque, balanced on a cement area that dug into the ground, where all the stone paths led to. Thor read everything carved into the granite stone with a sinking heart.

Forever Avengers, it was titled, and then, around it, the names of the five Avengers who had died, birth and death dates included, a small summary about their lives below their names.

So that was it. Thor was the only one left. He wondered numbly, as he sat down on the cement floor in front of the stone, watching it with wide eyes, how he could have missed the deaths and funerals of his very good friends. He felt horrible; he should have been with them.

Thor wasn't sure how long he was sitting there until he felt eyes burning into his back. Stiffening, he bowed his head and hoped the stranger would take note and leave. But a voice drifted out, amid the car horns and other noises of the city, seeping into Thor's mind and making his blood freeze. "I thought I would find you here, brother."

It was a quiet statement, but Thor heard the words as if the god of Mischief had screamed them across the clearing. His blond head turned and he caught sight of Loki standing a few feet away from him, closer than Thor had thought. The fallen god was wearing Midgardian clothes, a casual pair of jeans and a loose black v-neck shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His long black hair had been tied behind his head off of his face, but a few loose layers had come loose and dangled near his cheeks. Thor stared before clearing his throat. "Hello, brother," he managed to say and turned back to the plaque.

Loki closed the distance between them, taking the few steps needed to stand next to the god of Thunder before he lowered himself to the ground and sat, cross legged, watching the plaque as well. Thor swallowed, tears forming in his eyes. "I knew it had been a few years, I did not know I had been gone that long."

Loki nodded slowly. "Seventy years," he finally concluded. "These Midgardians... They age so much quicker than we are used to. Their whole life has gone by in the blink of an eye."

"Why did no one contact me?" Thor growled, clenching his hands into giant round fists. "Why did no one tell me what had happened?"

"We tried," Loki reasoned softly. "Trust me, we all tried our hardest. There was just no way of getting a message all the way out to Asgard in time."

"I should have been here," Thor moaned, burying his face into his hands. "They are my friends and I abandoned them in a time of need. How could I have been so arrogant?"

Loki looked around for a few seconds before placing his hand on his older brother's back, a feather-light touch that, unknown to Loki, offered Thor great comfort.

The god of Thunder weakly pondered over how much his brother had changed during his time in Midgard. He no longer sought out to fight Thor's every word, he offered comfort to the needy (though Thor would never admit it, Loki's presence alone had settled him), he had even come to visit, sensing Thor's prescence, instead of running farther away from the brother who loved him so much.

Darkness settled around the Asgardians, and with it came the sounds of New York City at night: car horns blaring, the occasional scream, and tonight, a gunshot through the dark. Thor lifted his head and wiped away the tears that had made wet tracks down his cheeks. Sensing the movement, Loki pulled his hand away and stood, a second later hesitantly placing the hand back out for Thor. His brother stared at it incredulously for a split second before clasping it and using it to help haul himself to his feet.

"You have changed," Thor mumbled, voice choked with emotion still as he looked at the memorial for a few minutes more.

"Yes," Loki replied, following his brother's gaze. "I suppose being isolated from every one of your kind makes a man realize his errors."

Thor stood in silence until the emotion he had held back finally got the better of him, and a sob broke it's way through his lips. Loki looked over at him with knowing eyes; Thor placed a hand over his mouth, humiliated that the first time seeing his brother again he was an emotional wreck.

But when Loki's comforting arms settled around his waist, pulling Thor close to the presence he had missed for so long, Thor broke down and sobbed, wrapping his own arms around Loki, trying to be gentle so he did not crush the god. "They are gone," he cried. "The Avengers are gone."

"They are not gone," Loki murmured, shushing him gently, "there is still you. You can keep the Avengers going."

Thor sobbed, "It's not the Avengers without them."

Loki couldn't argue with that.

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**I know Loki is OOC, but I wanted to focus on how he has changed spending all that time as a Midgardian. Please review and no flames, please?(:**

**Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all(:**


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